just order a pro-ject expression 111 as i wanted something better then the project debut which i thought was a great for price , any one out there have experice with the expressin and what are some good cartrige upgrades up to around $200 mark

Great little table for the money . I have the Pro-Ject 1 Expression III with the included tone-arm and a sumiko blue point Evo III cartridge and I've been thoroughly enjoying for a few months now. I upgraded from the original debut that I had for 5 years and was a good starter table.

That being said, it's definitely not the best table on the market and I would definitely reccomend shopping around before you pull the trigger. Not sure if I can offer the best help with cartridges but I've heard great things about the Benz-micro MC20E2 as well as the Sumiko blue point and the Denon DL-103.

I think that table may give the new P3 a run for it's money, and I think that is probably ProJects intention. I would think that it would not be foolish to look at a cart in the $500 range if you want the most from that table.

At your price point i would look at the Needledoctor as he has a wide range of offerings at that price point of $200. I would also check some back issues for AD recommendations as well. Some of the new Ortofons look good and look at the Aurum Beta line. Grado also has some considerations at this level as well.

Some eyebrows may be raised, but I would not discount even the Shure M97HE at $90. You will need some higher capacitance loading, but it may float your boat. Enjoy.

I've also considered stepping up to the Xpression III, I've had my Debut for a few years and love it. Mainly it's the carbon tonearm that interests me, since you can buy the acrylic platter separately for $100. However, I don't understand why they include the Oyster as the stock cartridge, it seems a little downmarket for the table based on my listening experience.

I have a Grado Green on my Debut and love the way it sounds, none of the hum you occasionally run into with Grados on various makes of turntables. I would say look at the Grado Silver or Gold, both seem like excellent cartridges for the money.